Is advertising at odds with the ideals of democracy? Why or why not?

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Advertising and Democracy Introduction My take is that advertising is not in conflict with the principles of democracy Aspects of commercials are in line with democratic ideals although some advertisements are wrong and dishonesty However we cannot consider wrong and dishonesty while defining democracy By definition the word democracy literally means having the people rule Democracy is a political perception as well as a form of government in which all the people in a given nation have got equal voices towards policy shaping As a form of governance democracy is ought to allow diverse representation opinion and inclusivity of as many people as possible Fukuyama et al 2010 Democracy is ought to allow postulation of views possible to be integrated into the meaning of a just reasonable fair society Democratic ideals run parallel to the principles of worldwide rights and freedom to free speech the right of choice among others Importantly democracy is ought to serve as a watchdog on unaccountable manipulation by a few individuals at the expense of many simply because democracy is governance system by the people and for the people On the other hand advertisements are notice or forms of announcements made over the media such as through televisions radio channels films or even on social media publicizing on products services or ideas Advertisement falls under the freedom of speech which is a component of democracy Advertising is good for business and just like any forms of awareness it seeks to notify consumers about a given product services or sell them ideas Over the years heated debates have been raised on whether advertising conflicts with ideas of democracy However just like many forms and systems in the world nothing is perfect and advertising is not an exception There are those aspects by advertising which are in line with democratic ideals and a few negatives which cannot make it to be ruled out of democracy Qualter 2014 Advertising in line with democracy ideals Here advertising is not at conflict with democratic ideals in fact it is actually an excellent example of democracy Advertising gives entrepreneurs marketers and businesses the chance to enjoy their freedom of speech Everyone has the freedom to be heard and as long as the adverts being run are not in conflict with ethics morals and nonmaleficent then for sure are in line with democracy On the side of consumers they have the right to information about various goods products and ideas in the market and through advertising they get to have such information Consumers are ought to have general knowledge about products services and ideas available in the market and should always use this information while going out for shopping Upon advertisement consumers have the freedom and right of choosing to buy advertised commodities or opting for other alternatives in the market Hence advertising is democratic in nature giving vendors the freedom of speech while on the other side consumers have the freedom of choice The consumers have the choice of buying or not buying advertised commodities Turow 2007 Democracy is based on the freedom and rights of choice and this is exemplified in advertising A wide range of variety is experienced in advertising which appeals to lots of distinct audience levels The freedom one gets from advertising is quite huge and thats why having democracy in a given nation is shown by things such as having different advertising One can advertise ... View the full answer